Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to methods for detecting Hg2+ in an aqueous solution. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to colorimetric methods for detecting Hg2+ in an aqueous solution with a composition comprising a plant extract and biosynthesized silver nanoparticles.
Description of the Related Art
The “background” description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
Mercury is considered to be one of the most dangerous metal ions in the environment, posing severe health risks to humans, because mercury is widely distributed in air, water and soil in metallic, inorganic, and organic forms. Mercuric ion (Hg2+), the most stable form of inorganic mercury, exists mostly in surface water due to its high water solubility. People exposed to Hg2+ suffer from developmental delays and other health problems due to damages to the brain, nervous system, kidneys, and the endocrine system. Therefore, it is critical to be able to detect and measure the level of Hg2+ in both environmental and biological samples under aqueous conditions with high sensitivity and selectivity and without interference of other metal ions.
There are various classical methods for mercury detection, including atomic absorption/emission spectrometry (AAS/AES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), ion selective electrode (ISE), and flame photometry. Although all of the above methods are powerful techniques for the determination of Hg2+, their excellent performance requires expensive instrumentation and time-consuming sample preparation and preconcentration procedures.
It is thus an object of the present disclosure to provide a simple and economical, and yet sensitive and selective colorimetric method of detecting Hg2+ in an aqueous solution with a composition comprising a plant extract and biosynthesized silver nanoparticles.